MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.Multiple stints are are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR

Team

Lg

G

GS

IP

W

L

SV

H

BB

SO

HR

oppTAv

PPF

H/9

BB/9

HR/9

K/9

GB%

BABIP

TAv

WHIP

FIP

ERA

cFIP

DRA

DRA-

WARP

2008

SLN

MLB

12

0

11.0

0

0

1

5

3

16

0

.243

97

4.1

2.5

0.0

13.1

48%

.238

.136

0.73

1.01

0.82

78

2.94

81.9

0.3

2009

SLN

MLB

69

0

56.7

4

4

0

57

23

54

10

.258

91

9.1

3.7

1.6

8.6

39%

.303

.287

1.41

4.77

4.76

101

4.97

0.0

0.2

2010

SLN

MLB

56

0

52.3

4

2

2

41

18

54

5

.262

89

7.1

3.1

0.9

9.3

40%

.275

.230

1.13

3.32

2.24

92

4.07

98.1

0.5

2011

SLN

MLB

78

0

68.0

5

2

9

49

16

63

2

.260

96

6.5

2.1

0.3

8.3

46%

.258

.213

0.96

2.45

2.25

87

3.50

91.9

1.0

2012

SLN

MLB

67

0

72.0

4

5

42

49

17

86

9

.261

98

6.1

2.1

1.1

10.8

41%

.242

.209

0.92

3.16

2.75

74

2.52

82.0

1.9

2014

SLN

MLB

29

0

25.0

1

0

0

29

9

17

7

.261

104

10.4

3.2

2.5

6.1

37%

.286

.319

1.52

6.46

4.68

119

6.10

125.1

-0.5

2015

CHN

MLB

57

0

48.3

8

1

6

48

11

34

4

.255

98

8.9

2.0

0.7

6.3

32%

.284

.254

1.22

3.64

3.91

126

6.19

126.7

-0.9

2016

COL

MLB

30

0

23.7

0

1

0

28

8

24

6

.266

113

10.6

3.0

2.3

9.1

43%

.319

.296

1.52

5.72

4.94

101

4.27

102.1

0.2

Career

MLB

398

0

357.0

26

15

60

306

105

348

43

.259

97

7.7

2.6

1.1

8.8

40%

.275

.245

1.15

3.70

3.28

96

4.20

100.4

2.7

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

BP Annual Player Comments

Year

Comment

2016

Motte came back from Tommy John surgery in 2014 minus about 3 mph across the board. Last year, he chopped his cutter usage by two-thirds and got almost a mile back on his four-seam fastball. Whether that explains his semi-adequate results is one question; whether the increased velocity was the last gasp of a mid-30s reliever is probably the more important one. At just $5 million per annum, the Rockies haven't committed much money to Motte, but a two-year deal certainly seems aggressive for a flyball middle reliever who missed September and the postseason with a shoulder injury.

2015

Motte returned last May after missing more than a year to elbow surgery, and it soon become clear that both the Cardinals' bullpen and Motte himself had changed significantly while he was away. All his old running mates (Boggsy and â€˜Nando and Scrabble) were gone, replaced by young flamethrowers who could light up radar guns at a rate Motte could only dream of now that the surgeons had hacked a few ticks off his formerly elite velocity. The former closer struggled pitching in low-leverage situations, relied more on his cutter and never got back on track. Another year removed from surgery should help him, though he's edging into dicey territory age-wise, and Motte's Proven Closer imprimatur should help get him more chances to reinvent himself in a set-up role.

2014

Early indications are that Motte should be ready no later than May, though it seems unlikely that he will return to the closer’s role he left when surrendering to Tommy John surgery early last year. He does have the requisite high-90s fastball, so the Cardinal Bullpen Council of Elders has agreed to let him come back to the team. Baseball does have a way of turning set-up men into closers at the drop of a hat, especially when those set-up men are former closers. As a former catcher who got a late start on his big-league career, Motte has to use 2014 to impress somebody enough to give him a multi-year deal starting in 2015. He's probably too old to get multiple bites at that apple.

2013

A pitcher with Motte’s stuff, build, presence, quirks, myopia, and facial hair was destined to be a closer, and after several years of organizational equivocation, the former catcher finally spent a full season dominating the ninth. His approach is as subtle and effective as a sledgehammer, as Motte bludgeons opposing hitters with his overpowering upper-90s fastball and low-90s cutter, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio lives in the same neighborhood as the most dominating relievers in the game (non-Kimbrel division). A late bloomer, Motte is already 30 and will soon get expensive, so the Cardinals will have to decide how much they’re willing to pay for the peace of mind a veteran closer can provide.

2012

The latest in a long line of quirky bearded relievers, Motte took the closer baton from Fernando Salas in late August and sprinted all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. The converted catcher’s mid-90s fastball and much-improved secondary offerings were brutal on right-handed hitters, who hit just .162/.220/.234 against him. Lefties, however, remain another story, as they drummed him to the tune of .270/.333/.404. Scheduled to make his first trip through arbitration for 2012, Motte should be first in line to close games on Opening Day.

2011

Motte bounced back from a subpar 2009 to post impressive numbers last year and stake his claim to the oft-sought but rarely fulfilled “future closer” title. Terrorizing the late innings with his upper-90s fastball and devastating slider, Motte led the club with 18.3 Adjust Runs Prevented, logged a 1.63 Fair Run Average, struck out more than a batter per inning, and hacked a few chunks out of his walk rate. He’s yet to find the magic elixir to cure his problems with lefties, however, as portside hitters have abused him to the tune of .292/.384/.466 during his career. If Motte can clean up that particular mess, he might someday earn closer cash.

2010

Gifted with velocity that scrapes triple-digit territory, the former catcher was nominated the club's closer for Opening Day. One spectacularly blown opportunity later, Motte learned why they don't carve "established" in granite on most newly minted closers until much later in their careers. La Russa became increasingly disenchanted with Motte as the season progressed, casting him into the bullpen backwater of mop-up work. He's still on the list of presumed Franklin replacements in case the veteran implodes, but his galling tendency to make mistakes with the bases empty suggests too much attention to gun readings and strikeouts, and not enough pitching.

2009

Motte entered the professional ranks as a catcher out of little Iona College in 2003, but after hitting .188 in his first three seasons, decided that it might be worth switching to the other side of the battery. This wasn't a bad idea, considering he throws harder than most everybody else on the planet. Last year, Motte exploded for 14.8 strikeouts per nine, and his overall numbers would have been even more impressive if not for that grossly inflated BABIP. Motte's luck on balls in play started changing when he was called up in September, as he knocked the timber out of big league hitters' hands with a fastball that sits in the 96-98 range and a vicious high-80s slider. Motte locked down the eighth inning in each of his final three appearances, which could be a preview of what's in store for him in 2009. At the very least he should make the club in the spring, but he has a chance to steal away the closer role.

2008

Converted catcher Jason Motte used a mid-90s fastball to dominate the Texas League last year in just his second season on the mound. If his secondary pitches develop, he could be a factor in the major league bullpen as soon as 2009

Hi Sam, Which non-closers should I pick up now on the chance they will close in 2015?(Cal Guy from Cal)

Wade Davis, Ken Giles, Kevin Jepsen, Bruce Rondon... though not necessarily closing in April 2005. Trying to figure out who is going to close for the Giants next year. Who's going to close for the Giants next year? I'll say Jason Motte is going to close for the Giants next year. Enjoy this prediction, Giants fans and fantasy owners, I wrote it just for you! (Sam Miller)

Some non-closer this year that are good bets to earn 20+ saves next year are _____?(Joanah from Redwood)

Hi Joanah.

No non-closer is ever a good bet to earn 20+ saves. If you had Kevin Gregg with 30 saves this year, raise your hand. Not so fast, every single one of you.

But if you're asking for names, I like Cody Allen in Cleveland, Ryan Cook in Oakland, and Trevor Rosenthal in St. Louis if he stays in the bullpen. All three are risks, but that's the nature of a question like this; these are all guesses at this point. I think the Indians will non-tender Perez, but maybe they sign him for $9-10 million. Grant Balfour probably leaves for free agency, but maybe he doesn't. Edward Mujica probably leaves, but maybe the Cardinals keep him or maybe Jason Motte is healthy and gets the role back. I used to shy away from the skills over roles thing, but now I believe it. If you grabbed Rosenthal in your fantasy league this year, you probably were very satisfied with the overall numbers (and especially the strikeouts) even though he never wound up closing. (Mike Gianella)

Standard 5x5 keeper league. Is David Freese a drastic overpay for Jason Motte? (Both players have the same salaries for this year, next year, etc.) I'm concerned Freese can't stay healthy enough to play more than 100 games.(Kingpin from Grinnell, IA)

I've talked with BP's in-house injury expert, Corey Dawkins, about Freese in the past, and he doesn't believe that Freese is that typical injury-prone sort--just unlucky. That said, it really depends on who your other 3B options are and how badly you need a closer. Are there a lot of other closers out there to be drafted this year? Motte is talented, but closers are largely interchangeable, so while I'm not in love with Freese, I wouldn't pay him if you can get someone comparable without giving him up. In a vacuum, in a 12-team mixed league, I'll take Motte based purely on value. (Derek Carty)

Cory,
Do you think there's fewer top tier closers this year. I drink the 411 Kool-Aid but I'm hoping to pick up 2 of the top 12 closers a little later than normal. Do you agree? And who do you think might have value as a #2 closer.
Many thanks
Neil(Neil from London, England)

It does seem that way. The top 5 this year is probably Kimbrel, Mariano, Papelbon, Axford and Wilson, or maybe Storen, but that doesn't seem as strong as two years ago when Bell was in that mix. I'm looking closely at Jason Motte for my targeted #2 this year; I picked him up several times last year in NFBC while their closer carousel was spinning, but of course by the time he actually got the job I was out of FAAB money! Figures. (Cory Schwartz)

Standard 5x5 keeper league. Is David Freese a drastic overpay for Jason Motte? (Both players have the same salaries for this year, next year, etc.) I'm a Cardinal fan and I just don't see Freese healthy enough to play more than 100 games. (Kingpin from Grinnell, IA)

Last one... and thanks to everyone for the great questions. My fingers hurt from typing!

At the same salary, I'd take Motte. As mentioned earlier I think he'll be a very solid #2 closer this year, with strong strikeout numbers and ratios, as he's developed his pitch repertoire a little bit over the years. Freese is a solid hitter, and while I'm not worried too much about the injuries, I just don't see enough power upside to make him untradable. Do the deal. (Cory Schwartz)

Who are some breakout closers you have in mind for 2012? Not just save collectors, guys that could be elite. Kimbrel was a a draft day jewel for lots of people last year, no doubt. (froston from Canada!)

Rafael Betancourt, Jason Motte, Addison Reed, Grant Balfour. Betancourt and Motte have already shown elite skills and will likely start the year with the jobs. Reed's riskier but could be elite too (also might not get the job), Balfour's a tier below but still good (and too might not get the job). (Derek Carty)

The right side of the Cardinals' bullpen is brutal...can any of Sanchez/Salas/Samuel contribute this year?(Andrew from Chicago )

I could see Sanchez getting there at some point. I'm not sure he's going to help a ton this year though. Jason Motte sure can throw those upper 90s fastballs up and straight as an arrow, can't he? (Kevin Goldstein)

Do the Cardinals have what it takes to get Halladay? I've got to think Brett Wallace is expendable, but while guys like Jason Motte and Jess Todd are nice pieces, I get the feeling they don't have the kind of starting pitching required to get the deal done. Am I wrong about that?(David Vines from NYC)

Tons of Halladay-trade scenarios in here.

Two Sundays ago I was on Ken Broo's fine sports show on WLW in Cincinnati -- Ken is a BP fan who knows his stuff -- and Halladay came up. I opined that the Cardinals were a possible destination for him, and that if that happened,it almost ensured the division. While teams like the Indians, Astros and Bruce-less Reds, are better served looking to the future, St. Louis may seriously want to consider such a deal. Wallace has a damn bright future, though. (David Laurila)

BP Roundtables

No BP Roundtables have mentioned this guy.

PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

Jason Motte has thrown 6,230 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2008 and 2016, including pitches thrown in the MLB Regular Season, the MLB Postseason and Spring Training. In 2016, he has relied primarily on his Fourseam Fastball (95mph) and Cutter (88mph). He also rarely throws a Change (83mph), Sinker (92mph) and Curve (83mph).